Mater's and Lightning's Christmas Adventure
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Mater tells a Christmas story, but is it really a story?  7th in my 12 Days of Christmas fic series for my beloved, amazing Jack and our darling babies.  Slash.


Title: "Mater's and Lightning's Christmas Adventure"  
>Author: Pirate Turner<br>Dedicated To: My beloved, wondrous, and always inspirational and amazing Jack, and our darling babies - Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice, my loves! This is the seventh story in my 12 Days of Solstice/Christmas for my beloved Jack and our darling babies of the year 2011.  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: Mater tells a Christmas story, but is it really a story?  
>Warnings: Slash, Established Relationship<br>Date Written: 6 December, 2011  
>Word Count (excluding heading): 2,132<br>Disclaimer: Lightning, Mater, all other recognizable Cars characters mentioned within, Radiator Springs, and Cars are ﾩ & TM Disney, not the author, and are used without permission. Everything else except for public domain characters belongs to the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

"And then," Mater continued boldly bragging, "there was the Christmas where I helped to pull Santa Claus."

Lightning looked at him. "You didn't pull Santa Claus!"

"Oh, yes, I did!" Mater exclaimed determinedly. His wipers clicked as he stared back at him with equal disbelief. "Why don't ya ever remember anythin'? I know ya've gotta remember this, Lightning! I was out late that night. I had that feelin' in my tank I get sometimes when I know somebody's out there's gonna break down an' need my tow. Ya know I get that way sometimes. I done told ya 'bout it plenty times, an' ya've seen I'm always right 'bout it when I go out that late at night."

"Yes, Mater," Lightning interjected boredly, "I know you get that feeling sometimes and you always find that broken down car that needs you, but . . . "

Mater broke him off, whistling between his buck teeth. "Ain't no but's 'bout it! No, siree! We tow trucks are always right when we know somebody's gonna break down out there on th' great, big highway 'f life! It's just a matter of findin' 'em while they can still be rescued 'fore'n the Ghost Light gets 'em!"

Trying once more to reason with him, Lightning spoke soothingly, "Mater, we've talked about the Ghost Light."

"Yeah, an' ya know it's real," Mater told him, jumping up and down and swinging his tow with excitement. "Ya done seen it, too! But aaaaaaany ways, there I was, just a mindin' my own business, lookin' for that there vehicle that done broke down, when I saw it! There was a little, yellow forklift broke down on th' side o' th' road! I started to hook up to him when he started tellin' me there was more needin' my help, an' I looked up th' road an' I saw 'em!"

"They was all there! Nine o' them there forklifts was just awallowing in misery needin' my help, an' one o' 'em's headlights was glowin' red! When I saw that there fellow wit' th' red headlights, I knew right then an' there what was happenin', an' I said 'Oh, boy!' to myself. 'This ain't good! Santa Claus done broke down!' But then I realized, o' all th' places in th' whole, wide world that he could break down, he'd broken down in Radiator Springs!"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lightning muttered, rolling his eyes.

Mater ignored him and continued relating his story. "I was th' luckiest tow truck in th' history o' tow trucks not just 'cause I got you as my best buddy but 'cause Santa Claus down broke down on my road! So I's told that first forklift that I'd found that I'd be back, an' you know what he said?" He grinned broadly at Lightning and swung his tow. "He said that'd be okay, that he understood, an' that Santa Claus needed me more! Christmas needed me! Th' whole world needed me!"

"Uh huh."

"So I went speedin' down that hill, an' sure enough, I found th' ol' truck himself! Ya know, he's really amazin', Lightning, an' he's even better in real life! 'Course ya remember that! Ya were there with me later that night! But how one truck who can't drive himself 'cause all th' tires that ever get put on him always go out can spend his entire life makin' toys for th' children o' th' world is really amazing! Ya gotta agree it is!"

"Of course it is," Lightning murmured, and then more softly, he added, "if Santa was real."

Mater looked at him as though he'd gone completely loco. "What's a matter with ya today? Ya done hit your hood too hard in that last race you been in? 'Course Santa's real! Ya know he is! Ya were there!"

"You keep saying that," Lightning told him, "but I don't remember any of this. Of course, I never remember being in any of your stories, because that's what they are . . . "

"Of course, they're stories!" Mater exclaimed, laughing and swinging his tow again. Lightning looked hopefully up, thinking that, at last, his boyfriend was going to be realistic, when Mater said, "They're all true stories o' stuff we done been through together an' did!"

"Mater, we haven't . . . "

"'Course we have! Ya were there! Don't ya remember?" He looked at him in puzzlement. "I was so excited to see Santa that I started backin' up an' I kept backin' up all th' way through town 'til I almost ran into ya! An' then I started tellin' ya 'bout findin' Santa Claus broke down an' ya wan't believin' me an' then I realized I done left him behind an' I knew I had to get to him real fast like but I couldn't just leave ya! I wanted ya to see him, too, so I grabbed ya wit' my tow here . . . " He swung his tow, and Lightning turned around just in time to keep from having his rear bumper grabbed by it again. " . . . an' we high tailed it."

"Ya didn't believe me that time, either, until I got ya to where Santa was broken down but then ya saw him an' knew I wan't makin' up a fake story like ya're always tellin' me I am!" He looked forlornly up at the night sky and all the stars that sparkled far above their hoods. "I wish he'd show up now." He whistled sadly. "Ya never believe me!" He looked over at Lightning, and Lightning was hurt to see the tears shining in his windshield. "Why don't ya ever believe me, Lightning? We're supposed to be best buds. We oughta always believe everythin' th' other one says. An' ya tell me ya love me, an' I know I love ya. I believe ya. Why shouldn't ya believe me?"

Lightning sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Mater. It's just that the stories you always tell are so far fetched." He reassuringly touched his front right tire to his. Vrooming softly, he added, "But that doesn't mean I don't love you."

"They ain't done it!"

"Mater, I do love you!"

"That ain't what I'm sayin'!" Mater's tow swung irritability. "My stories aren't far fetched! Every last one o' 'em's real!"

It was Christmas Eve, and Lightning didn't want to spend the holiday with Mater upset with him. He knew that he created his stories and that they weren't based on any events that had actually happened, but for tonight, at least, he decided he'd play along. He didn't want Mater sad tonight of all nights, and it wouldn't hurt to play his games this Christmas if only it would keep him happy. His engine whirred.

"I guess maybe they seem that way to me because I don't usually remember them. Like this one about pulling Santa Claus. I didn't remember it at all when you started telling me about it, but now I think I'm starting to." He rubbed his front fender gently against his. "Won't you tell me more about it? Maybe I'll remember more if you do."

Mater beamed. "See? I told ya I wan't makin' it up! I never make up any o' my stories! I don't have to," he said proudly, "'cause cool things are always happenin' to me - " He flashed him a grin. " - like ya bein' my best friend!"

Lightning glowed in the light of Mater's happy smile. His engine warmed. Yes, pretending that fibs were real and Mater's stories were not simply made up to make him sound bigger and more important than he actually was in the world around them was little to pay to keep him happy. Mater was vastly important to him. He was more important to him than the Piston Cup, but Lightning knew that, sadly, he'd always feel a need to prove himself. "So," he urged, "how did we save Santa and the forklifts?"

"The forklifts got over it in a few days. They'd gotten ahold o' some bad oil. But Santa needed help that night." He grinned broadly at him, his tow swinging merrily. "Come on! Ya gotta remember what we did!"

"Nnnooo . . . " Lightning spoke slowly, shaking his front body in the negative.

"Why, we pulled Santa around all night long o' course! He's got special tools that he puts in the fork lift's engines so that they can fly, an' he put 'em in us an' we flew! We flew all that night, an' we took him all across th' world! He was able to deliver his toys 'cause o' us! We saved Christmas!" He was so happy he glowed, and Lightning smiled as he basked in his joy.

"That's a lovely story," Lightning started to compliment.

"It's real, too!" Mater persisted.

"I think I remember it," Lightning fibbed. His eyes widened in surprise as he heard a faint echo. "I can still hear Santa shouting 'Ho! Ho! Ho!'"

"That's 'cause you're hearin' him now," Mater advised, grinning.

"Huh?"

"Look there." He pointed with his tow to the valley stretching out behind Lightning. Lightning spun around, and shock filled his windshield as he saw an old truck slowly coming up to him. He was being led by eight, little, and yellow fork lifts. "Mater?" Lightning asked doubtfully out of the corner of his fender.

"Santa Claus!" Mater cried delightedly and sped forward to meet the old truck. Lightning followed but at a more distant, and unsure, pace.

"Mater! Lightning!" the red truck greeted them both, and Lightning's eyes grew even wider as he saw the huge bag of toys filling the old, pick up truck's bed.

"S-Santa Claus?" Lightning asked in growing surprise.

"Yes, Lightning, it's me." Santa smiled warmly at him. "I'm sorry you've such a down to earth accelerator that you don't remember last time, but Mater's right. You boys saved Christmas that year, and I need your help again."

Mater's tow swung with his excitement. He jumped up and down in place, his tires hitting the red dirt gravel underneath them and making it spin. "Anything for ya, Santa!" he cried in delight, his tow swinging wildly, and then he started to slip on the spinning gravel. He turned it to his advantage, however, and spun circles around Santa and his fork lifts.

Lightning warily watched Santa Claus. "How can we help?" he asked.

"Rudolph's sick," Santa explained, "and I need some one to light our way tonight. My boys and girls do a great job," he spoke proudly of the other fork lifts, "but Rudolph's the only one with bright headlights. We need some one who can light our way."

Lightning's smiling hood fell. "Then that's not me. My headlights are . . . "

Santa stopped him with a reassuring smile to say, "It's both of you. Your paint job is as bright and beautiful as Rudolph's headlights, and Mater's headlights are just as bright a light. There are some bad winter storms out there, and I really could use you both to light our way this Christmas Eve."

Lightning slowly started to grin again. Santa slid up to him and whispered, "Besides, you know you're best when you're together."

"We are," Lightning agreed, smiling at Mater as his headlights sparkled with his happiness. "What do you say, Mater?"

"Well, daggum, of course I say let's do it!" Santa opened their hoods and added the needed magic to make them fly. Then they hooked up to his lead fork lifts and started off across the night sky. They soared high, but Lightning's proverbial heart soared even higher as he gazed at his beloved Mater. Mater had been right, after all, and Santa was right! They were best together, and they would save Christmas again this year!

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" he called.

"Hey," Santa complained from behind them, "that's my trademark!"

"So it is," Lightning agreed.

"'Sides," Mater added, grinning, "ya got yer own."

"I sure do." Lightning's smile filled his hood, and then he hollered out, "Kachow!" His grin sparkled and shot an even brighter light through the night sky, leading them on their latest adventure.

Mater touched the side of his hood to Lightning's. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too!" Lightning cried. "Merry Christmas, Mater!"

"Merry Christmas, Lightning!" Mater answered.

"Merry Christmas to one and all," Santa shouted, beaming in the beautiful light of their love as they continued their journey, "and to all a good night!" That Christmas proved to be not only of the best nights Mater and Lightning had shared up until then but also the merriest Christmas and a Christmas story Lightning and Mater have both been telling proudly ever since and always will.

"Merry Christmas, y'all!" Mater calls.

"Kachow!" Lightning adds, and his bright smile pierces the darkness, shining a light upon Santa who's coming for them again this year.

**The End**


End file.
